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Wilkes County, Georgia
Wilkes County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,593. The county seat is the city of Washington. Referred to as "Washington-Wilkes", the county seat and county are commonly treated as a single entity by locals, including the area's historical societyWashington Wilkes Historical Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce.Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce It is part of the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA). History Wilkes County, named for British politician and supporter of American independence, John Wilkes, is considered Georgia's first county established by European Americans; it was the first of eight original counties created in the first state constitution on February 5, 1777. The other seven counties were organized from existing colonial parishes. Wilkes was unique in being land ceded in 1773 by the Creek and Cherokee nations in their respective Treaties of Augusta."Wilkes County Courthouse", GeorgiaInfo It is located in the Piedmont above the fall line on the Savannah River. Between 1790 and 1854, Wilkes County's area was reduced as it was divided to organize new counties as population increased in the area. The Georgia legislature formed the counties of Elbert, Oglethorpe, and Lincoln entirely from portions of Wilkes County. Wilkes also contributed part of the lands used in the creation of Madison, Warren, Taliaferro, Hart, McDuffie, and Greene Counties."A Brief History, 1790: A booming area of the state", Washington, Georgia Virtual Tourist, accessed January 13, 2010 Wilkes County was the site of one of the most important battles of the American Revolutionary War to be fought in Georgia. During the Battle of Kettle Creek in 1779, the American Patriot forces were victorious over British Loyalists."A Brief History, 1779: The Decisive Revolutionary War Battle of Kettle Creek", Washington, Georgia Virtual Tourist, accessed January 13, 2010 During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, colonists used enslaved African Americans to clear land, cultivate plantations, and process cotton in this area. Long-staple cotton would not grow in this area and short-staple cotton required much labor to process. In 1793, Mount Pleasant, a cotton plantation east of Washington, was the site where Eli Whitney first perfected his revolutionary invention, the cotton gin. It allowed mechanization of processing of short-staple cotton, making its cultivation profitable in the upland areas. As a result, there was a dramatic increase in the development of new cotton plantations throughout the Deep South to cultivate short-staple cotton. Settlers increased pressure on the federal government to remove Native Americans, including the Five Civilized Tribes from the Southeast. Congress passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830. Production of short-staple in the Deep South soon superseded long-staple cotton, grown primarily on the Sea Islands and in the Low Country.Willingham, Robert. "AN OVERVIEW OF LOCAL HISTORY", Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce, accessed January 13, 2010 Such expansion dramatically increased the demand for slave labor in the Deep South, resulting in a longstanding domestic slave trade that transported more than a million slaves in forced migrations to the Upper South. King Cotton brought great wealth to many planters in the decades before the Civil War. None of the battles of the American Civil War was fought in or near Wilkes County. But it was here, on the site of the present Wilkes County Courthouse in Washington, that President Jefferson Davis met for the final time with the Confederate Cabinet. They officially dissolved the government of the Confederate States of America."A Brief History, 1865: Last Meeting of the Confederate Cabinet", Washington, Georgia Virtual Tourist, accessed January 13, 2010 Wilkes County was the last-known location of the gold rumored to have been lost from the Confederate Treasury."Legend of the Lost Gold of the Confederacy", Washington, Georgia Virtual Tourist, accessed January 13, 2010 Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water. The northern quarter of Wilkes County, in a curved line from Rayle through Tignall to the northeastern corner of the county, is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. The eastern portion of the county, from Washington east, and bordered to the north and west by the Broad River sub-basin, is located in the Upper Savannah River sub-basin of the larger Savannah River basin. The rest of the county, south of Washington, is located in the Little River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. Major highways * U.S. Route 78 * U.S. Route 78 Business * U.S. Route 378 * State Route 10 * State Route 10 Business * State Route 17 * State Route 44 * State Route 47 * State Route 80 Adjacent counties *Elbert County (north) *Lincoln County (east) *McDuffie County (southeast) *Warren County (south) *Taliaferro County (southwest) *Oglethorpe County (west) Demographics |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 }} 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 10,687 people, 4,314 households, and 2,968 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 5,022 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 55.12% White, 43.05% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 1.98% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 4,314 households out of which 29.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.10% were married couples living together, 17.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $27,644, and the median income for a family was $36,219. Males had a median income of $27,355 versus $21,298 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,020. About 13.00% of families and 17.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.20% of those under age 18 and 19.90% of those age 65 or over. 2010 census As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 10,593 people, 4,263 households, and 2,841 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 5,158 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 53.0% white, 42.8% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 2.0% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 10.3% were American, and 9.1% were English. Of the 4,263 households, 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.4% were non-families, and 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 43.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $28,022 and the median income for a family was $39,109. Males had a median income of $36,993 versus $24,874 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,993. About 21.2% of families and 25.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.7% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over. Communities *Rayle *Tignall *Washington Notable people * Edward Porter Alexander * Eliza Frances Andrews * John Clark, Georgia governor * Elijah Clarke * Peter Early * Frank Edwards, blues musician * Stephen Heard * George Mathews, Continental Army officer, Governor of Georgia, and US Congressman; member of the Mathews family * Jesse Mercer * Paul Jones Semmes * Alexander H. Stephens * Matthew Talbot * Benjamin Taliaferro * Robert Toombs * George W. Towns Politics See also * Wilkes County Courthouse * National Register of Historic Places listings in Wilkes County, Georgia * Central Savannah River Area References External links * Wilkes County, Georgia genealogy and history * Georgia Historical Markers in Wilkes County * History of Wilkes County * Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce Category:Counties of Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Wilkes County, Georgia Category:1777 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Settlements established in 1777